Battle of Dantooine (Clone Wars)

For other uses, see Battle of Dantooine.

Concurrent

Battle of Dantooine

Combatants
Galactic Republic Jedi Order	Confederacy of Independent Systems

Commanders
High General Mace Windu A clone trooper commander	Unidentified battle droid commanders†

Strength
1 Jedi Master Clone troopers 187th Legion LAAT/i gunships At least 1 PLX-1 portable missile launcher	1 Providence-class carrier/destroyer^[4] C-9979 landing craft^[4] B1-Series battle droids^[4] B2 super battle droids DSD1 dwarf spider droids Armored Assault Tanks^[4] Rocket launchers 1 seismic tank†

Casualties
Many clone troopers Many gunships	Many battle droids The seismic tank

"Master Windu still fights on Dantooine."

―Palpatine^[5]

The Battle of Dantooine took place during the Clone Wars in 22 BBY. One phase was fought on the grassy plains of Dantooine, pitting a small unit of the Grand Army of the Republic against a massive number of battle droids, while a later phase was fought at the same time as the Second Battle of Geonosis.

Prelude[]

The Battle of Dantooine began immediately before the Battle of Muunilinst. During said battle, the Confederacy of Independent Systems used Dantooine as a staging point to launch an attack against the assault ship blockade around the InterGalactic Banking Clan headquarters. However, Jedi Master Mace Windu learned of the Confederate presence on Dantooine, and left with a force of clone troopers to halt the progress of the Separatists.

Count Dooku was also hoping to uncover Rakatan artifacts on the planet.^[6]

Mace Windu's secondary mission on the planet was to locate and apprehend the mad genetic terrorist Zeta Magnus. Zeta had committed multiple acts of murder and terrorism around the galaxy while in league with the Separatists. He operated a GeNode cloning facility somewhere on the planet that persistently eluded Master Windu.^[7]

The Battle[]

"Ah, yes, I understand that congratulations are in order, General Windu. You have been most successful to date with your facet of the war. Your work on Dantooine was exceptional, I hear."

―Lanius Qel-Bertuk^[8]

Seismic tank attacks — The seismic tank attacks the Clone Army.

The battle erupted on Dantooine as clones and B2 super battle droids clashed in a vast, open plain. Clones used PLX-1 portable missile launcher to destroy scores of droids, whereas the droids used their own missile launchers to shoot down many gunships and overwhelming numbers to cause many casualties in the clone ranks. However, with Master Windu at their side, the clones slowly gained the upper hand, despite being outnumbered nearly four to one by Confederate super battle droids. However, the battle was suddenly turned upside down with the arrival of a large siege weapon—the seismic tank.

CW Chapter 12 — Mace Windu battles B2 super battle droids.

This tank used its seismic driver—used for mining operations in peaceful days—to cut a swath through the clone trooper ranks, either crushing them outright or sending soldiers flying from the shockwave, along with taking out a contingent of their own forces. In the confusion, Windu lost his lightsaber, and was forced to fight a number of droids unarmed. The ability with the Force that he showed in that battle has since become legendary: During the fight, he eluded and obliterated droids by multiple Force moves as the Force push, Force speed, Force punch and Force Wave, a technique so powerful it incapacitated droids within a 50-meter radius, and at one point, Windu disassembled a super battle droid and used its pieces to destroy the other remaining droids.

Retrieving his lightsaber amid another seismic shockwave, Windu flew towards the seismic tank. Windu cut his way in, disabled the seismic driver, destroyed the tank's droid crew by pushing the crew out the window, and knocked out the controls. Flying clear, Windu watched on as the seismic tank smashed into the ground and exploded. After he landed, a small boy gave him a bottle of water. The battle was won.

Attack on the failed Jedi students[]

A taskforce of droids was dispatched during the battle to attack a farm that was run by failed Jedi students. With the help of their Force powers and their banthas, the former Jedi were able to defeat their attackers, despite their lack of weapons. Afterward, they fled the planet in their airship and decided to fly it to Coruscant.^[4]

Later assault[]

Following another phase of the battle fought around the same time as the Second Battle of Geonosis, Windu's remaining troops required medical supplies, leading Jedi Padawans Barriss Offee and Ahsoka Tano to take a medical frigate to collect the supplies from a medical station near Ord Cestus. However, their ship was overrun by a batch of Geonosian brain worms before they could complete the supply run.^[9]

Behind the scenes[]

The Battle of Dantooine^[1] was created for the Star Wars: Clone Wars television micro-series. It later received a mention in "Brain Invaders," an episode of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars television series.^[9]